Moving On
by BregoArodShadowfax
Summary: Set after At World's End. Will is having trouble accepting his lot as captain of the Flying Dutchman, and he needs some advice from an old aquaintance to help him move on.


**So I'm dabbling in **_**Pirates**_** fanfiction now. Saw the third movie and got this idea for a one-shot; so decided I'd write it. I hope it's acceptable. Enjoy. And review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Pirates **_**or anything associated with it. Except a t-shirt. **

**Moving On**

Jack Sparrow was lost. No, he would never admit it, but the fact could hardly be denied. He was in the middle of the ocean; hadn't seen another ship all day, and there were no familiar islands in sight.

He was off to find the Fountain of Youth. He knew where _that _was, or at least which direction to go. Of course, his compass only told him which way he _should _go and not what direction he was actually going in.

And so, after much arguing of the facts, Jack Sparrow concluded he had lost the _Black Pearl_, again, and also that…he was lost. He put down the oars and sighed, realizing that his rum was also gone. Could this day get any worse? As he was moaning about his cursed fate, the sun was beginning to set. He watched it for a while, content to do anything to take his mind off of his predicament.

As the last burst of golden-red light faded from his view, a bright green flash seemed to spark out of the atmosphere. Jack leaned forward. He knew what that meant…or so he hoped.

Mere moments later, the seas about him seemed to heave as if a great wind were tossing them, even though the night was perfectly still. He inwardly hoped the boat would not tip, but before he could even form a coherent thought, a mast rose out of the water in front of him. Seconds later, his small rowboat was beached on the deck of a much larger ship, water dripping from the masts and sails.

He stood up, stepping carefully out of his dinghy and onto the more stable wood of the ship. Glancing around, the main deck seemed deserted, but for a single man standing at the wheel. Jack climbed the stairs and approached the figure, although he already had a fairly good idea of who it was.

"Well, well, Captain Jack Sparrow. Doesn't take long for you to get into trouble, does it?"

"You see, young William, I think you have a skewed perception of what 'trouble' is. For you see, I was not in any."

"Jack…" Will turned around. "Floating in the middle of the ocean with a compass that can't show you north and no supplies? I'd call that trouble." He let go of the wheel, content that the ship could stay its course, and went to stand by the railing.

"I think the real reason you pulled me up onto your lovely craft is that you need somebody to talk to. That so, mate?" Jack leaned on the railing beside Will.

"Perhaps. But not the whole reason, you see. I…suppose I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me, mate? Whatever for?" Jack pretended to look confused.

"You could have stabbed the heart; taken immortality for yourself. You wanted it. I know. You could have let me die…but you saved my life. I don't pretend to know why you did so, unless, as I suspect, there _is _something human about you, but I am grateful," Will looked down at the dark water.

"Grateful, but not happy. That's so, isn't it? It's dear Elizabeth that's troubling you, if I'm not mistaken," Jack commented.

"I…we finally get…well, I suppose we can call it married, and now I'm doomed to see her only once every ten years. Ten years, Jack! How long is she going to live? That makes it…maybe five, six more times at the most. If I'm lucky. And I'm cursed to remain on this ship forever!" Will clenched the railing in obvious anger.

"William, William, William. Look on the bright side, mate. You're not going to die…" Jack had to stop as he realized that maybe immortality wasn't as important to the former blacksmith as it was to him.

"No. But neither am I going to live."

"Well, mate, I'm sorry about your bonny lass, but sometimes things happen that we cannot forsee. This was one of those times. Perhaps you would have rather I let you die and left your fair Elizabeth to possibly meet her demise because of her grief. Is that what you wanted?"

"No, of course not! I want her to be happy, but how can that be when we can only be together once a decade?" Will let out a gusty sigh.

"Lad…" Jack paused. "Here." He held out his compass.

"What can I do with that?"

"Just…open it."

Will gave Jack a skeptical look, but did as the pirate asked. The needle hovered around for a few moments, eventually stopping; pointing out to the open sea and in the direction the _Dutchman _was currently heading. Will blinked, staring at the instrument in apparent disbelief before asking, "But what does it mean?"

"Isn't it obvious, mate? The thing you want most at this moment in time is _not _to be condemned to a life on land so you can be with your bonny lass. You feel it, don't you? The call of the open ocean. The call that, once sounded, will never let you go. It's as jealous as any lover, mate…maybe more so," Jack stared out at the water. "And I distinctly recall telling you that you had pirate in your blood you'd have to square with. I think you've started squaring."

Will smiled, realizing that, for all of his rambling, Jack was usually right. "It just feels…odd, I suppose. This whole situation. It happened so fast…"

"Sometimes that's the way things work, lad. I take it darling Elizabeth is currently in command of your…ah….heart?" Jack looked a little apprehensive as to how to ask that.

"Of course. And that's the other strange thing…not having a heartbeat. I should be dead, but I'm not. And as long as she keeps the chest safe and nobody tries to steal the key…" he paused and shook his head. "So, Jack, tell me how you ended up _Pearl-_less once more."

"Sad story if there ever was one, mate. Tragic, really. I was off doing business on land; left the ship in command of the crew and Mr. Gibbs, and when I get back with my acquisitions, the ship's gone! Pulled out to sea! And Mr. Gibbs is snoring on the dock. Needless to say, I couldn't abide by that, so I sent Mr. Gibbs back into town and set off for the ship. Perfectly good strategy, if you ask me," Jack explained, accentuating his story with many hand flourishes.

"Or not. But…don't you think you should realize by now that leaving Barbossa on the ship is not the greatest idea?" Will raised an eyebrow.

"Mate, he stole the _Pearl _from me once…that was unavoidable. Mutiny, you know. He got it the second time…well, that was your fault." Will rolled his eyes. "But a third? The fellow must be plain stupid. Maybe dying did something to his brain. But, as he should already realize, nobody, and not _nobody_, gets away with stealing me ship. That girl is truer to me than any lass in any port on this earth," Jack had a faraway look in his eyes.

"That's true. You love that ship; I know. How could you have stomached being captain of the _Flying Dutchman, _Jack?" Will inquired.

"Ah, now _that _was an interesting dilemma. If I _had _been the one to send Davey Jones to his own locker, who would have captained the _Pearl_? Who could I have trusted with my ship? But I suppose I don't have to contemplate that now, do I? Thanks to you, young William," Jack inclined his head in a mock-bow.

"So where are you off to now, Jack Sparrow? Still searching the seven seas for a way to live forever?" Will asked quietly.

"Aye, what else? That little chart you got from Singapore has directions to all kinds of treasure. The Fountain of Youth for one. Immortality, _and _I'm not cursed in any way. At least, I hope. Then I can spend forever searching for riches." He threw his arms excitedly in the air but lowered them as he glimpsed the still-dejected look on Will's face. "But, as I've said before, mate, not all treasure is silver and gold. I don't think I believed it myself, then, but sometimes a man can change."

"Even you, Jack?"

"Aye, lad. Even me."

"And what could possibly be more important to you than gold and jewels?"

"Why, mate, if I'm to patrol the seas forever, at least I'll have a steadfast friend who'll be there forever with me," he replied, clapping Will on the shoulder.

"Wait a minute, Jack. 'Friend?'" Will glanced at the pirate.

"Aye, mate, friends. After all we've been through together, no matter how many times we've wanted to kill each other along the way, how can we be anything else?" Jack flashed his most winning smile.

"I…thanks, Jack. That means a lot," Will admitted, smiling back.

"And just so you know, mate, if you ever feel down, you can always find me and we can have a glass of rum together!" Jack looked fairly excited at the prospect.

"You mean, _you _can have the rum." When Will noticed Jack looking at him intently, he added, "And no, I don't have any at the moment. But we'll be coming up on the _Pearl _soon. You might want to think about what you're going to say to your crew."

"My crew loves me. Don't worry about me, mate."

"I never do, Jack. I never do."

They stood in silence for a time until the tell-tale black sails appeared in a small cove to their port side.

"Ah, there she stands. The light of my life, the jewel in my crown. She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"That she is, Jack. I'll pull up beside her and you can board," Will turned to go back to the wheel.

As they neared the ship, Jack put one boot on the railing and turned back to Will. "Well, dear William, it has been most pleasurable seeing you again. But I've a score to settle with my mutinous former first mate that cannot be avoided. I wish you the best, William Turner." He retrieved a small board and used it to bridge the gap between the two ships, but as he stepped foot back on the deck of the _Black Pearl_, he heard a response.

"That's _Captain _William Turner!"


End file.
